BJP targets Nikhil, HDK; demands CRPF protection for Sumalatha, Yash, Darshan

coastaldigest.com news network

March 26, 2019

Bengaluru, Mar 26: The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has backed independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh in Mandya Lok Sabha constituency, is taking every opportunity to make JD(S) candidate Nikhil Kumaraswamy's path tougher.

Seconding her claims of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy misusing the government machinery to spy on her, the saffron party has now sought the Centre's intervention.

The party's state general secretary, Arvind Limbavali has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh urging him to provide Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) protection to Sumalatha, her son Abhishek and actors Yash and Darshan, who are supporting her in the wake of "violent actions" against them.

Limbavali has said that Kumaraswamy had resorted to intimidation tactics against Sumalatha as she was contesting against his son Nikhil.

The JD(S) and Congress "goons" had attacked actor Darshan's house, and had also cut off cable network in Mandya on the day Sumalatha filed her nomination papers, he has said.

Limbavali has also cited that the JD(S) and Congress leaders were abusing Sumalatha and both the actors and instigating its workers through social media networks.

"Sumalatha has complained to the Election Commission that the Chief Minister is abusing the official machinery to tap her phone and spy on her. She has also complained that the coalition government has deployed intelligence and police officers near her office for over a month. There are also instances of information gathering from her security guards, and attempt to photograph people visiting her house. In the wake of these incidents I request you to ensure adequate security by CRPF and provide protection to her and her son and actors Yash and Darshan," the letter states.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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